Have you ever stopped to consider how your critical thinking can affect your career success? During your professional journey, it is common to seek to develop new skills, but objective assessment skills are not always a priority.
Part of this is because many people believe they already have this skill, or they don’t see it as a priority. However, for companies, this is one of the most desired skills for the coming years.
Of course, being able to think through things in a sensible and useful way is already important, but this will likely become even more important as robots and other technologies take over more tasks.
According to the trend, this skill will remain very useful and even become more important as robotics and AI technologies spread.
While AI can process and analyze large volumes of data more efficiently, critical thinking enables professionals to interpret, evaluate and refine the results generated by these systems and solutions, adding a human perspective capable of considering nuances and contexts ignored by machines.
What is critical thinking?
Although it is impossible to prevent personal biases, opinions, and ideals from influencing people’s work, being able to distinguish between them and conduct an unbiased analysis of a situation is crucial to doing well. A qualified professional must therefore be able to behave analytically when presented with obstacles and decision-making when confronting a particular issue.
As a result, critical thinking entails the capacity to evaluate arguments and information in an unbiased and logical manner, to recognize connections between concepts, to spot contradictions and mistakes in reasoning processes, and to develop logical and convincing solutions while always taking the situation into account.
See the main characteristics of this skill:
Efficient use of advanced technologies
Companies that want to stand out after 2025 will need more than just cutting-edge technology. They will also need workers who know how to get insights in a smart and responsible way.
Critical thinking is a social skill that helps make sure that AI-based choices are made in an honest and useful way. This helps companies get the most out of the technology while minimizing any risks or biases that might come with it.
Ability to make assertive decisions
Encompassing an interpersonal skill that allows professionals to open up in complex and collaborative work environments, it is essential for decision-making and problem-solving in any position, business and organization.
More than that, it allows the professional to be able to analyze different decisions and their consequences, and thus, follow the best path.
Better performance
In general, this skill allows the professional to act more assertively, aware of possible results and always focused on the company’s goals. This directly affects their performance and allows them to stand out in the company.
How to develop critical thinking?
In a way, everyone has their critical thinking skills, but they are not always aligned with the expectations of companies or are not always refined to help professionals grow and stand out. Learn how to optimize this skill with three tips:
1- Look for different sources of information
If you have doubts or understand that there are other ways to do something, be able to question and research other methods and sources of information. Not everything in the work is an absolute truth, and knowing how to inform yourself from different sources helps to broaden your repertoire and worldview.
2- Know how to evaluate data
As we have said, critical thinking will play an important role as technologies advance. To be able to benefit from this, professionals need to know these technologies, the data they offer and how to use them to their advantage.
And this doesn’t just apply to those who work directly with Information Technology. In all areas, data is used for decision-making, since a significant portion – if not all – of companies have a digital presence.
3- Keep learning
One of the foundations for making informed decisions based on efficient assessments is technical knowledge. The more information a professional has, the easier it will be to make this assessment effectively.
In the future scenario, critical thinking will act directly as a bridge between technical knowledge and practical application, fundamental in activities such as Data Analysis, Project Management, Innovation and Product Development, Marketing and Communication and Personal and Professional Development.